Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY Sells 508 Shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY lessened its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 305,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 508 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 3.4% of Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY’s holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $28,804,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth about $94,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 2.2% in the first quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 7,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. CFM Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 9.5% during the first quarter. CFM Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 10.1% during the first quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Corp IN raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 1,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $692,687.94. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,609,353.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Chairman James P. Gorman sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.21, for a total transaction of $9,021,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 414,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,425,422.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Mandell Crawley sold 6,954 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.61, for a total transaction of $692,687.94. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,274 shares in the company, valued at $4,609,353.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 118,154 shares of company stock valued at $10,722,696. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $96.75 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $96.24 and a 200-day moving average of $91.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.38. Morgan Stanley has a 12 month low of $69.42 and a 12 month high of $103.25.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.33. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The firm had revenue of $15.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.70 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Morgan Stanley will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley’s payout ratio is currently 61.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MS shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America increased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. HSBC upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Morgan Stanley from $94.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.30.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.